Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- PART I The Basic Model
- 1 Introduction: Scope and Method
- 2 Patterns of Economic Growth
- 3 A Schema of Industrial Production
- 4 The Circulation of Fixed Capital
- 5 The Circulation of Working Capital
- 6 The Stationary Process in Operation: Structure Analysis
- 7 The Stationary Process in Operation: Force Analysis
- 8 Transition to Dynamic Equilibrium
- 9 Dynamic Equilibrium: Structure Analysis
- 10 Dynamic Equilibrium: Force Analysis
- PART II Changes in the Rate of Change
- PART III Changes in the Rate of Change
- PART IV Changes in the Rate of Change
- Appendix: An Alternative Presentation of Lowe's Basic Model
- Glossary of Recurring Symbols
- Name Index
- Subject Index
7 - The Stationary Process in Operation: Force Analysis
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 October 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- PART I The Basic Model
- 1 Introduction: Scope and Method
- 2 Patterns of Economic Growth
- 3 A Schema of Industrial Production
- 4 The Circulation of Fixed Capital
- 5 The Circulation of Working Capital
- 6 The Stationary Process in Operation: Structure Analysis
- 7 The Stationary Process in Operation: Force Analysis
- 8 Transition to Dynamic Equilibrium
- 9 Dynamic Equilibrium: Structure Analysis
- 10 Dynamic Equilibrium: Force Analysis
- PART II Changes in the Rate of Change
- PART III Changes in the Rate of Change
- PART IV Changes in the Rate of Change
- Appendix: An Alternative Presentation of Lowe's Basic Model
- Glossary of Recurring Symbols
- Name Index
- Subject Index
Summary
Taken by themselves the structural relations of our model, equalities and sector ratios, cannot be identified as specifically referring to economic, or, more generally, social events. They would equally well describe the course of some mechanical process. By linking them with particular macrogoals, we have taken the first step of moving our investigation into the dimension of social analysis. However, only by taking another step, in which the processes formalized in our model are demonstrated as the outcome of deliberate human actions, shall we arrive at a true, even if highly abstract, replica of economic phenomena. This demonstration is the task of force analysis.
Still, this second and indispensable step must not be misunderstood as transcending the instrumental viewpoint. In other words, force analysis too is goal-oriented, in the sense of searching for behavioral and motivational patterns that are suitable to the attainment of a stipulated goal, rather than for patterns that actually prevail in any given situation. The immediate goal which now serves as our yardstick is the maintenance of the structural relations – stationary equilibrium relations – which themselves have been derived from the originally stipulated macro goals. Thus our first problem is the discovery of the behavior patterns on the part of the elementary producing and consuming units required to assure the maintenance of the structural equilibrium conditions once they have been realized. This will be followed by the elaboration of motivational patterns which, in turn, are required to sustain the suitable behavior patterns.
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- Information
- The Path of Economic Growth , pp. 62 - 69Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1976